Aurelia's POV
The sound of the thin cane hitting my back made me jerk but there was nowhere to run to.
The two guards who held my arm did it with such power and I wondered if I wasn't as little as I thought I was.
Norton grinned maliciously as he watched them whip me with a thin but excruciatingly painful wooden cane.
"This will teach you not to put your hands on me," he said with satisfaction. In the end, he had dashed out only to return with a few guards to punish me, lying that I had pushed him to the ground.
I counted over ten strokes with gritted teeth and when they finally left me, my back was bleeding.
I was exhausted but I still had to clean the Royal Hall and I wasn't even halfway done. I cleaned myself up and got to work immediately.
* * *
"Ow, ow," I winced as the ice touched my shoulders but I had no choice but to relax into it.
"Sorry, dear, it'll be over soon," Maggie sighed as she watched Barbara, one of the maids I was familiar with, massage my shoulders with ice.
I wondered if she would still say that if saw my back. I made sure to only let Barbara massage my shoulders over my clothes.
We were finally in my room after I was done with my chores. Thankfully, I had finished cleaning the Royal Hall by 5a.m. and I only had three hours of sleep before I was woken up again to carry out my chores for the day.
My stomach growled and Maggie quickly pushed a slice of bread with Jam my way.
"Here, you need to eat. I'll try to get you more from the kitchen," she promised but I was already shaking my head in denial.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Barbara said behind me. "I don't know but it feels like Prince Norton is purposely picking on her. I doubt anyone should get involved. I'm really sorry, Aurelia."
I smiled weakly as she moved my arm back and forth. I winced softly trying not to show my pain. "It's fine."
"But, what did you do, my dear?" Maggie asked. She had been asking me this question for weeks and each time she asked, I would find a way to avoid answering the question.
"You're such a sweet person. I wonder why the Prince would treat you this way. Did you offend him?" It was Barbara's turn to be curious this time.
I guess I was too sweet of a person. I played back Norton's words and I couldn't help but feel guilty that I brought this upon myself.
I was too kind, too nice, too cheerful. Indeed, too much of everything had its down part. But how could I stop being all these things that defined and made me who I was?
The thought of hiding my smile and my personality just to avoid attracting a man didn't make any sense to me.
So it wasn't my fault. Norton just wanted me as a possession and I wasn't going to let that happen.
"I don't know," I finally replied. "The uhm… guards at the gate... Do they take turns? I worry for them."
"Eh? Of course they do. They do it thrice in a day: 6am. 3pm. and 10p.m." Barbara answered. "Why are you asking?"
"No reason, I'm just worried. I can't imagine keeping guard for twenty four hours."
"The Alpha King makes sure that the security is tight and there's at least eight to ten guards at night," I listened as Maggie explained. I couldn't imagine sneaking out with that amount of security.
The chances of getting caught were high and I didn't want to risk it.
"He sounds like such a smart man. But, I wonder if there's a blind spot," I mumbled to myself. "That would be a shame-"
"A blind spot is impossible," Barbara scoffed. "You're not planning on sneaking out, are you?" She teased and I forced a giggle.
I noticed Maggie's silence and I could feel her stare on my skin but I refused to look at her in fear that she might see right through me.
My chores for the day were twice as bad as the other days. Even as my arms were sore, I was made to drag the well at the back of the castle.
The tap was working perfectly but I guess the water I would pull out would be neater and better, right?
"Aurelia is a Beta," I heard some of the maids gossip on my way to drop the bucket of water in the slaughterhouse.
"I knew it! She doesn't smell like an Omega. Why is she being treated like one?"
"She probably fell on the wrong side of the Prince. I heard they had a fight!"
I sighed at the rumours, wondering how they started in the first place.
"Poor girl, if only she had a family to run back to."
My feet came to a stop at the mention of my family. I swallowed hard as the memories of my family rushed back to me with a feeling of emptiness in my heart.
"It's so sad that they died. The Alpha was nice enough to take her in."
I picked up the bucket and continued my journey. My arms felt like they were being pulled but complaining would only mean more work.
I buried my thoughts by cleaning the slaughterhouse, packing the blood of animals into a bucket and moving to and fro to dispose of it.
By the end of the day, I was sore all over, my arms were most definitely dislocated and the weight on my shoulders felt as though I was carrying the weight of the world.
The open wound from this morning wasn't left out. It throbbed again and again, sending waves of pain through me.
I retired to my room a few minutes before 10pm. and took a long shower. I sat on the floor in the bathroom, feeling thankful that at least he didn't take away my privacy but I couldn't guarantee he would let me keep it on the next couple of weeks.
I watched as blood from my back mixed with the water and I held back the pain.
As I thought about sneaking around eight to ten guards, I rubbed my hands over my necklace. This was the only property I had and it wasn't even entirely mine.
I thought about the stranger and wondered if he was still alive. It would be a shame if he had died somewhere along the line. I hoped he was living his best life because I sure as hell wasn't living mine.
Ha had taken a huge chunk of my blood and in exchange for leaving me almost at the point of death, he left me such a beautiful necklace.
"Mother, Father, I'll live," I concluded with tears streaming down my face as I hugged my knees to my chest while sitting on the cold bathroom floor.
"I'll live my life to the fullest. I'll find my mate and be happy. I'll have pups too," I huffed in a short silent laugh.
But the first step was to leave this place of doom and endless torture.
I stepped out of the bathroom and changed into my night clothes. I arranged a small bag and threw in a few clothes and placed it under my bed.
Immediately I sat on my bed to try to get some rest before 10pm., the door opened and Margaret walked in.
"More chores?" I wondered, ready to throw my head back and groan but would still head out anyway.
She smiled and slowly shook her head, "Not yet. I figured you might be hungry." She brought out a black nylon and placed it on the bed beside me.
"Cheesecakes," she beamed at me.
"Maggie, you shouldn't be doing this," I didn't want to get her in trouble. As I stared into her face, I realised I had grown attached to her.
"It's only for a short while," She grinned. "I also brought some meat, sausages, bread- I know you like bread."
She rambled on and when she was done, I looked over what felt like three day's worth of food.
I stared into her teary eyes and she gave me a knowing smile. My heart broke at that instant but I willed myself not to cry.
"You know, the East gate has fewer guards," Maggie informed me as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "If you go in the direction of the slaughterhouse you can make it just in time-"
"Maggie-"
"But what do I know?" She scoffed and rose to her feet. "We never had this conversation to begin with and I was never here."
Aurelia's POVI stomped my feet on the ground over and over again to get rid of the mud under my worn out shoes. I looked up into the sky with a hand blocking the harsh rays of the sun that had made my clothes sticky with sweat.The sun should be coming down soon and once again, it will be nightfall.I dreaded the hours of the night.Our wolf senses were much sharper and stronger. Norton's guards could be close again to finding me. Our game of hide and seek was a dangerous one that I didn't enjoy but I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.Once Norton found out I was missing, he rolled out guard after guard and in all the three days of my journey, it has been nothing but fear and looking over my shoulders while keeping a watchful eye on coming across any familiar face.My clothes were torn from passing through the most unlikely places in hopes that they wouldn't follow me but their determination went beyond my expectations. I found myself running even in the middle of the night.I h
Liam's POVI ran my hands over the lapels of my dark suit as the maids polished my shoe and dressed me up with shaky hands.I watched and heard them gulp, each one of them afraid to meet my eyes. They kept their heads lowered and their hands moved in haste.I noticed they were trying not to waste my time and I was pleased at how dedicated they were to serving me and making me comfortable but I didn't see the need to hurry today."Take your time,"They jerked in shock at my voice but soon relaxed and bowed their heads before heeding to my adviceThere was no need to rush me even as the ritual wouldn't commence without my presence, I still didn't want to go so early.The Blood Moon Ritual was happening today. It was a day taken out for mates to find each other. This event happens every year but I have yet to find my mate.Every year, I sat on my throne and watched the wolves find their mate while I, their King returned with no one by my side.I felt like a personal Circus for the moon g
Aurelia's POVI felt the air sucked out of my lungs as I stared into those dark eyes that seemed to scan me like I was a piece of art ready to be explored. I wasted no time doing the same.His black hair fell across one side of his face landing on his thick dark brows that furrowed slightly in shock. Those hard jawlines looked sharp enough to cut and his lips were full and inviting.His pheromones were slowly stroking my desire, wanting to fill me with need and longing. I glanced at his arms and admired his wide shoulders and his biceps. He was simply a work of art.His focus was on me and it felt as though I could feel his hands gliding under my clothes. My mate looked like a god on that throne and the way he stared at me left me feeling naked and bare before him.I found him, Mother. I thought to myself as I touched my necklace over my scarf. My lips curled in a smile and I took a step forward in his direction when someone leaned beside him.His eyes grew darker, forcing me to halt
Aurelia's POVThe guards were shaking like a leaf and so was I.We were yet to lay eyes on him but his mere presence and his deep gruff voice was enough to shake us down to our very core."W-What do we do?" One of the guards asked with a frightening tone. He sounded like he was about to piss himself."I've heard about the Purple Sun City. What if... What if the Lycan King-""Shut up! He is definitely too busy to worry about trivial matters like this!""Keep it together! We've come a long way searching for this bitch. We cannot return empty-handed-"They were still arguing when something, with the speed of light, moved past us.The wind blew up in my face, slamming me hard but it wasn't as hard as how three of the guards fell to the floor lifelessly."Wh-What was that!"One by one they dropped to the floor and soon it remained just me and the guard holding me as a shield.I was panting with my heart threatening to fly out. I couldn't recall that werewolves could move with the speed of
Liam's POVAndre shut the door to my study with his hands over his mouth as he stared at me in shock."Swallow it," I turn away from him and head to where a bottle of scotch sat. I poured myself a drink and brought the glass to my lips, emptying the content in my mouth.Even after tasting the blood of trespassers-- If I could remember correctly, I bit one's head off-- I still wanted something down my throat."My Queen?" I mumbled to myself, tasting the word and shaking my head. "Did you, by any chance, smell the mate bond on her-""I apologise, my King. I was overjoyed when she said that," he placed his hands over his crotch area and lowered his head.He was much calmer now than when he blurted that out."But, was she telling the truth?""Oh, I see. We're acting rationally now, are we?" I cocked a brow and folded my arms. Andre looked away. He was most definitely feeling ashamed of his actions."Forgive me, my King. I let my emotions get the better of me," he apologised once again but
Aurelia's POVWas he… My mate was… he's the Lycan king!I stared at him with a gaping jaw. His expression only hardened into a frown as he stared down at me with a look that instilled anxiousness in me. His eyes were so deeply trained at me, one would think I was a puzzle he was trying to piece together in such little time."Is this anyway to greet your saviour and the King?" He inquired in a bold and deep voice that shook me out of my trance.He was right. Just simply staring at him was outright rude. Despite him being my mate, our rank put us on a whole different level from each other.I lowered my head instantly, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I-I was in shock so I didn't… I was trying to process the information… I hope you're not offended, your highness-""Offended?" his voice came from behind and I lifted my head to see he wasn't in front of me anymore. I hadn't even noticed when he passed. "When you're done giving honour to the breeze, you can shut the door and look at me."I sl
Liam's POV"Please, let me leave," she said again with a broken voice this time. She sounded close to tears.Her head was still lowered and her shoulders trembled softly. Was this fear directed at me or was she cooking up something in her head? If there was one thing I knew about women, thanks to Emma, it was that they were constantly assuming and making up scenarios in their head.This one before me was no different. Only that I didn't feel a certain way with the way she cried. The mate pull was stronger especially with her scent in the air.Was she trying to tempt me? She would have to work a lot harder than that to actually make me feel something more."Are you in your head again?" I wondered aloud and saw as she stiffened. "For a second there you make it seem as though I want you to stay." I folded my arms.For saying such bold and cold words in a nonchalant way, my wolf wasn't feeling the same way. He whined and paced in my head. Her scent was killing him but at least one of us w
Aurelia's POVMy legs turned to jelly and my knees hit the floor once he stepped out. I heard his footsteps fade out and only then did my tears come rushing at me.They fell freely while my face conveyed nothing but shock as I played back his words over and over.His words were not the accustomed words of rejection yet my wolf was going through an emotional turmoil that left me on the edge of being shattered inside.Just like that, he had taken away the sweet feeling of being in his presence and smelling my mate in the same room with me.I didn't know how to feel but I was certain of one thing, sleep had eluded me already and there was no forcing it.I wiped my tears and picked myself up like I had always done since life became harsh to me.I couldn't get rid of the feeling but I could at least get rid of the ripped dress I was wearing thanks to running in the woods.I sniffed as I locked the door, making sure no one would give me a surprise attack during the night. I untied my scarf